Pet Protect Launches In Cumbria

Pet owners in north Cumbria are being offered unlimited free vet consultations under a new cost-of-living busting initiative launched by Paragon Veterinary Group.
The Pet Protect club aims to help owners avoid sudden bills and manage their finances.

Paragon vet Graham Lewis says it will help clients give their animals the best care and avoid the bigger fees that often result from delayed treatment as people put off visits while juggling costs.

Paragon, which has centres in Dalston, Wetheral and Newbiggin, also recently became one of the first veterinary practices in the UK to offer owners its own cheaper pet insurance.

Graham said:
“Our aim is for clients to know roughly what they have to spend per year, and monthly, so they can budget and have the peace of mind that they won’t be hit by an unexpected bill.

“If you take out Pet Protect and also have pet insurance you have basically covered everything – emergencies are covered by the insurance and all your routine care is covered by Pet Protect.”

Pet Protect members will never pay a consultation fee to see a vet again no matter how many times they see a vet – saving around £40 per visit.

Their pet will also get all the vaccinations and flea, tick and worm treatments they need for free. Pet Protect covers dogs and cats and costs £27 per month.

Other benefits include as many free telephone consults, nail clips and anal gland emptying as needed. Plus discounts for common expenses, such as 10 per cent off nurse consults for weight, mobility and laser treatment, blood tests and urine analysis, and waiting room sales and food; 15 per cent off neutering and blood pressure analysis; 25 per cent off dental scale and polish and 15 per cent off dental extractions.

Graham said:
“This is a reassurance plan. You are never going to have to pay a vet consult fee again so if you are worried about anything, or there’s a little niggle, you can come in and have it checked without having to worry about the consult fee, and you can come as often as you need throughout the year.

“Nobody wants unexpected bills and unfortunately pet health care is usually an unexpected bill and vet fees are something many people are struggling with.

"There will still be fees for investigations, medications and surgery as usual, and an out of hours call-out fee – but no consultation fee for out of hours visits.

“We want to try and take away some of the worry that can stop people from coming in,” said Graham.
He said vets have seen a growing trend of owners putting off trips to the vet and often finding they face much higher fees to sort out the problem later.

“We will see a dog that’s been vomiting for four or five days. At that point there is a big chance it will need to be admitted with hospitalization fees which will cost a couple of hundred pounds at least. It could often have been solved with medication and an injection on day one, which might cost around £20 or £30 without the consultation fee.

“Likewise, if we take a lump off when it is really small it is usually a minor procedure, but people are putting off coming in until it is quite big sometimes to the point where we can’t do something about it, or it would be a big and costly operation and putting the animal through a lot more.

"By joining Pet Protect owners will have peace of mind, including new pet owners navigating the care of a puppy or kitten for the first time.

“We want to make it easy for people to come and see us and that will help welfare too.

“We would rather see an animal early on and if it is something that does not need treatment we can give reassurance.”

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